Box for displaying contents



Feb. 12, 1952 TlERNEY 2,585,056

BOX FOR DISPLAYING CONTENTS Filed Aug. 19, 1946 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Fig.1.

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l 3 lOq' IOI'L lo) Inventor-z F g MARcus M-TIERNEY Feb. 12, 1952 M. M. TlERNEY 2,585,056

BOX FOR DISPLAYING CONTENTS Filed Aug. 19, 1946 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Inventor; MARCUS M. ITERNEY At tor-neg Patented Feb. 12, 1952 Umrso .ITATES ATENT OFFICE 2,585,056 l30X FOR DISPLAYING CONTENTS Marcus M. Tierney, St. Paul, Minn. Application August 19, 1946, Serial No. 691,477

13 Claims. (Cl. 229-47) This invention relates to a container or box adapted to contain various forms of merchandise and while the box could contain many different kinds of articles, it particularly is designed to contain screws, small nails, tacks and similar articles of hardware, etc. It is desirable to have the difierent kinds of articles, such as diiferent sizes of screws, nails, etc. visible and readily accessible. If the container is closed, as is now the common practice, it is necessary to take time to.

open the container to show the contents or to remove some of the contents.

It is an object of this invention to provide a container having a bottom portion which can readily be swung to expose an opening in the box through which the contents are visible and accessible, together with means for holding said bottom portion in swung position.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a container or box as set forth in the precedingparagraph, said bottom portion having a front portion extending upwardly there from which is also swingable outwardly to enlarge said opening and further expose the contents of the container and to make them more accessible, together with means fOr holding said front portion in the desired position.

It'is another objectv of the invention to provide a box formed of sheet material and being rectangular in transverse cross section, the same having a bottom swingable about one edge thereof, said box having an opening at the side opposite said edge adjacent said bottom, said bot tom having side portions extending upwardly therefrom and having a front portion extending upwardly therefrom, said front portion being adapted to close said opening when the box is in closed position, and being swingable about the edge of said bottom opposite said first mentioned edge, together with means for holding said bottom and front portions in the desired position to which they are swung. 1

It ismore specifically an object of the inven tion to provide a containe in the form of a box folded from a blank of sheet material and being rectangular intransverse cross section, said box having a bottom swingable about one edge thereof, said box having an openingadjacentsaid bottom at the sid opposite said edge, said bottom' having side portions extending upwardly therefrom and disposed at the sides of said box edge of said bottom opposite said first mentioned edge, said front portion having parts at the sides thereof disposed along the sides of said box, together with means preferably in the form of bands disposed at opposite sides of said box engageable by said side portions of said bottom and said parts of said front portion to'hold said bottom and front portions respectively in th desired position with said opening exposed.

It is still further an object of the invention to providea novel blank for such a box as above described.

These and othe objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following'description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagonal view of the box forming this invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a blank used in making the box;

Fig. 4 is a View in side elevation of the box;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Fi 2;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 5 showing the parts in different positions; and

Fig; 7 is a'view similar to Fig. 5 showing the parts in 'stillfurther different positions;

Referring to the drawings, a box Ill of general parallelopiped form and thus being rectangular in transverse cross section, as shown in Fig. 2,

I is shown. While said box could be. variously formed, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated said box is preferably formed of sheet 5 material, such as cardboard, stiff paper, etc

and is folded from a blank Illa, one formof which is shown in Fig. 3. This blank is of substantially rectangular form and will be folded along spaced parallel lines 'Hlb spaced equally from the longitudinal sides of said blank. Blank la is also.

lob. Blank Illa has a narrow zone l0d at one end thereof formed by a transverse line 10c,

parallel to and spaced ashort'jdistance from, one

end of said blank and the blank will be out along line Hie at the portions thereof outside -of lines lob." Said blank has anotherzone [0 adjacent one end thereof formed by parallel transverse lines lg which extend at right angles to lines IN). A zone "If is formed between lines I0g and I0b which forms the bottom of the box. Zone I0 has side portions I0h which are foldable along lines Nb and which taper outwardly from said lines, the same being provided with notches I02 at their outer portions so that said side portions have projections I07 and are of hook-like form. Another zone IIIk is disposed at the 0pposite end of said blank, the same being formed between the outer line I09 and the end of said blank. Zone We is foldable along lines I0b and is also adapted to be folded along a substantially median line I0m parallel to lines I0g. Portion or zone I0k is provided with openings I012. in its side portions and while these might vary in form, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated they are shown as tapering outwardly from lines I0b respectively at equal angles to median line Him and as having short converging portions at their outer ends and re-entrant central pointed portions Ilma at their outer ends. When zone IUk is folded along median line I0m the pointed portions I 01w form hook-like projections, as shown in Figs. 4 to7. The portions of the blank at the outer sides of lines I0b are folded upwardly at right angles and the blank is then folded along lines I00 and inner line l0g into substantially parallelopiped shape, the portion between lines I01: and I09 forming the bottom of the box and the portion between lines Nb and We forming the top of the box. Zone IOIc is folded along median line I0m in a direction opposite to the folding of the box along the other transverse lines so that a portion is formed of double thickness and when this portion'is folded along line II'Ig it extends at right angles to outer line I0g. It will be noted that the distance between I0e and the adjacent line We is shorter than the distance between inner line I0g and the adjacentline [00. When the box is folded into .parallelopiped form an opening 'is thus formed in one side of the box, as shown at I00 in Figs. 6 and 7. This opening extends across the box and is of course of rectangular form and is adjacent bottom portion I01), which, as before stated, is the portion between lines I09 and Mb. The side portions I Bit of zone I0f may be made of greater length outside of lines 10b than the rest of the blank, as shown in Fig. 3, although this is not necessary or essential. The portion of the zone 10k is folded along its median line II'Im downwardly orin a direction away from the plane of Fig. 3 so that this zone then becomes of double thickness, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. When so folded the openings I0nform the booklike portions I0q, as shown-in Figs. 6 and 7. The width of zone I 07s when so reversely folded is substantially the same as the width of the opening in the front of the box above described so that the portion of zone I0k between lines It closes said opening, as shown in Fig. 5. The narrow zone I0d is reversely folded upwardly and this zone is severed outside of lines I0b so that its end portions form strips I01. When zone I0! is folded and the bottom of thebox brought to horizontal position, the side portions I0h extend along the opposite sides of the box at the outer side thereof and within the strips I0r. When zone [0k is folded upwardly to close opening I00, its side portions outside of lines I0b also extend along the opposite sides of'the box at the outside thereof and these ar disposed preferably inside of side portions 10h, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. When the box is in final form the ends of the strips l0r are connected by a strip II formed of adhesiv tape or similar material which extends across the rear of the box and overlaps the strips I0r, as shown in Fig. 1. Also when the box is in final form a strip I2 is placed across the front of the box covering the slit or crack between the upper portion of zone I0k and the lower portion of the reversely folded zone I0d. This strip may have a thread I3 therein or in the rear thereof opposite said slit or crack so that it can be pulled upon to slit the strip I3 and expose said slit or crack.

In operation when the box is packed or filled with the articles it is to contain, such as screws, it will be in the form shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5. When the box is to be used for displaying and rendering the contained articles accessible, the strip I3 will be severed as above described and bottom portion or zone I0 will then be swung downwardly about its rear side or the line I0g remote from the end of the blank and the hooklike portions on the side portions IIlh will swing forwardly and strike the zone I0d at the corners of the box, the side portions moving within the side portions I01 of said zone I0d. The bottom of the box is then brought to the position shown in Fig. 6 and is positively held in this position by side portions IlIh and strips I0r. To give greater accessibility to the articles, the zone I0k can now be swung downwardly about the outer line I 0g and when this is done th side portions thereof swing forwardly until the hook-like ends I0q engage strips Jr, as shown in Fig. '7. The articles in the box will now drop down on the bottom and on the top of zone IIlk and will be plainly visible and can be easily picked out of the box. The 'box can be arranged to be suspended in vertical position on a support when it will occupy the position shown in Fig. 7 or it can be rested upon the bottom formed by zone I0! and in which position zone I 0k would extend upwardly at a greater angle, as shown in Fig. 7. The weight of the contents of the box will hold the same in stable position on the bottom. It is not necessary to have the hook portions on zone Ink as the side portions thereof will very solidly and firmly engage zone IM and hold the zone I07: in proper position.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided a comparatively simple structure of boxfor screws, tacks and other articles which can very readily be placed in condition to make the articles visible and accessible. The device will haveaihigh degree of utility in stores and the boxes containing varioussizes of articles can be arranged in a row or rows so that the articles can be very quickly seen and removed when desired. The blank can be very easily and quickly cut with the proper die just as a blank for an ordinary box can be cut. The folding of the box can be very rapidly .performed. The box is in very secure condition .for shipment and as above described it is but a moments work to place the sam in condition to render the articles visible and accessible. The device has been amply tested in actual practice and found tobe very successful and emcient.

It will of course 'b understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, ar-

rangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicant's invention, which generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set'forth, in the'parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A box made of folded sheet material, the same being rectangular in transverse cross section and having a bottom portion swingable downwardly about one edge thereof, said box having an opening adjacent said bottom in the side opposite said edge, said bottom having side portions extending upwardly therefrom and having a front portion extending upwardly therefrom adapted to close said opening when said box is in closed position, and means on said box engaged by said side portions for holding said bottom in downwardly swung position, said front portion being swingable about the edge of said bottom opposite said first mentioned edge, and means for holding said front portion in swung position.

2. A box made of sheet material and being substantially rectangular in transverse cross section, the same having a bottom swingable about a line parallel to one side of said box when said box is in folded operative position, said box having an opening adjacent said bottom at the opposite side, said bottom having side portions extending upwardly therefrom at opposite sides of said box'and having a front portion extending upwardly therefrom adapted to close said opening, and means for holding said bottom in downwardly swung position whereby articles can be shipped in said box when closed and displayed and dispensed from said box when said opening is exposed.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2, said front portion having side portions extending therefrom along the sides of said box, and means engaged by said side portions of said front portion for holding said front portion in swung position.

4. A box made from folded sheet material, the same being rectangular in transverse cross section and having a bottom swingable about one edge thereof, said box having an opening adjacent said bottom at the side opposite said edge, said bottom having side portions extending upwardly therefrom and disposed at opposite sides of said box, said bottom having a front portion swingable about the edge of said bottom opposite said first mentioned edge and adapted to close said opening when said box is in closed position, bands extending along said opposite sides of said box and said side portions having projections adapted to engage said bands respectively to hold said bottom in downwardly swung position, said front portion having side extensions also adapted to engage said bands to hold said front portion in swung position.

5. The structure set forth in claim 4, said front portion and said side extensions being folded about a transverse substantially median line so as to be of double thickness.

6. A box made from folded sheet material, the game being rectangular in transverse cross section and having a bottom swingable about one edge thereof, said box having an opening adjacent said bottom at the side opposite said edge, said bottom having side portions extending upwardly therefrom and disposed at opposite sides of said box, said bottom having a front portion swingable about the edge of said bottom opposite said first mentioned edge and adapted to close said opening when said box is in closed position, members disposed at opposite sides of said box, said side portions being notched to form hook-like projections adapted to engage said members respectively to hold said bottom in downwardly swung position.

7. The structure set forth in claim 6, and side portions extending from said front portionalso disposed at the sides of said box and adapted to respectively engage said members to hold said front portion in swung position.

8. A blank adapted to be folded to make a ho of parallelopiped form, said blank being of general rectangular form and being foldable alon spaced parallel lines extending longitudinally thereof and throughout the length thereof and equally spaced from the sides thereof, said blank being foldable about spaced parallel transverse lines, said blank having a zone at one end fold.- able about the line connecting it with said blank to form the bottom of said box, said zone having side portions foldable about said first mentioned lines and an end zone foldable about the line connecting it with said first mentioned zone and having side portions foldable about said first mentioned lines. y

9. The structure set forth in claim 8, said side portions of said first mentioned zone tapering outwardly and being notched to have hook-like projections at their outer sides.

10. A blank adapted to be folded to make a box of parallelopiped form, said blank being-of general rectangular form and being foldable along spaced parallel lines extending longitudinally thereof and throughout the length thereof and equally spaced from the sides thereof, said blank being foldable about spaced parallel transverse lines, said blank having a zone at one end foldable about the line connecting it with said blank to form the bottom of said box, said zone having side portions foldable about said first mentioned lines and an end zone foldable about the line connecting it with said first mentioned zone and having side portions foldable about said first mentioned lines, said last mentioned zone being foldable about a transverse substantially median line and having openings in its side portions, said opening tapering outwardly from a point on said first mentioned lines respectively and having re-entrant central pointed portions, said openings being symmetrical about said median line so that hook-like projections are formed when said zone is folded along said median line.

11. A box of sheet material of rectangular shape in cross section, the same having a bottom secured thereto against bodily movement swingable about one side thereof, said bottom having a portion extending upwardly at the opposite side thereof substantially at right angles thereto, said portion forming part of the last mentioned side of said box and closing said last mentioned side so that when said bottom is swung downwardly about said first mentioned side an opening is formed in said second mentioned side of said box by said swinging movement between the upper edge of said portion and the edge of the adjacent portion of said last mentioned side thereabove through which the contents of said box are visible and may be accessible, means for holding said bottom in said swung position whereby articles may be shipped in said box when in closed position and may be dispensed therefrom when said bottom is swung downwardly, said first mentioned portion being swingable about the edge opposite said first mentioned edge to further enlarge said opening, and means for holding said first mentioned portion in said swung position.

12. A box made of sheet material and of rec- 7 tansular shape in cross section having a bottom swingable about one edge thereof when-said box is in: folded operative position, said bottom havside portions extending upwardly therefrom and: having a front portion extending upwardly therefrom, said. box having. an opening in one side closable by said: front portion, saidopening being exposed when said bottom swings downwardly about said edge, means, engaged by said side portions for holding said bottom in swung position to expose said opening, said front portion being swingable about the edge opposite said first. mentioned edge, side portions extending. along the sides of said box connected to,- said front portion, and means engaged by said last.

mentioned side portions for holding said front portioni-n swung position, whereby small articles may be shipped in said box when closed and may be displayed and dispensed therefrom when said opening is exposed.

13. A box made of sheet material and of general parallelopiped form having in combination, top, side, rear and front walls and a bottom, said front-wall having a transverse division some dis.- tance above said bottom, the portion below said division being connected to said bottom, said bottom having portions connecting to the sides thereof extending upwardlyalong said sidewalls 8 respectively, means for holding said' bottom and portions in place with the-box in closed condition, said bottom and the portions being swingable downwardly about the rear edge of said bottom when released from said means whereby a trough-like structure is formed having an opening thereabove. into the front of said box, said last mentioned portions engaging said front wall to. limit. said downwardly swinging movement of said box, said first, mentioned portion being swingable, forwardly further about its lower edge. and means for limiting said swinging movement thereof.

MARCUS M. TIERNEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 916,230, Viersen Mar. 23, 1909 1,132,466 Gamble Mar. 16, 1915 2,042,799 Ort June 2, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 783,525 France Apr. 8, 1935 

